Can we grow any attractive plants in sandy, oceanfront property?
— N.W., Rochester MB: Starting a new landscape is a great adventure and the easy answer to what will grow in your microclimate is to notice what does well in the neighbor’s yard and what the local nursery recommends. Classic seacoast gardens include pine trees, rockrose, rosemary, Rosa rugosa, artemesia, sea thrift, pinks, euphorbia, santolina and yucca. Garden in raised beds and large pots and you’ll have more options that just those plants that thrive in sandy soil. Q: What is the houseplant that is considered so hard to kill that it’s sometimes called the cast-iron plant? I have a new apartment, but it is rather dark and I travel a lot so I cannot pamper my houseplants. — R, e-mail MB: The cast-iron plant has the Latin name Aspidistra elatior and you will be elated at the low light and low water demands of this tough plant. The long, broad leaves look rather tropical, but during the dark winter months this plant needs very little water. It is slow-growing and long-lasting and unle
